The Parting Glass is a
resource page for fans interested in the literary,
historical, political, and personal references found in the
lyrics of the Pogues and of the related projects of the
band's members. It's also got some other goodies connected
to the Pogues.

What's Here

Click on either the "Album" or
"Single" link above to get to the lyrics you want.

If you are not sure where a
particular song is located, use the "Directory" link.

"Sightings" includes references
to the band (either individually or collectively) found
in other musical or literary sources.

"The Universe" is a list of
bands who have either covered Pogues material or are
navigating in the same musical space as the band.

"Solos & Sides" covers the
post-Pogues work of Shane and the other members in the
band.

"Links" takes you to a list of
other Pogues-related sites.

What's New?

The latest major update underway
concerns some modifications to the song list on the various
Pogues albums that have been remastered and rereleased.
Scroll down for links taking you to the full update history
of this page.

Popes fans: Snapper
Records has released the
latest from the Popes; a 2 cd set including all of Holloway
Boulevard and a live cd. Check it out (this is not a paid
advertisement; just a plug for a good cause).

Why The Parting
Glass?

There's two questions here. First,
"what's up with the title"? Well, it comes from a
traditional Irish song. I've usually heard it performed at
the end of a party or show, and since the band had split up
by the time I got around to putting this page together, I
thought it fitting. Also, the Pogues included the song on
the "Honky Tonk Women" cd-single. This was the last single
released by the version of the band that included Shane
MacGowan, and the liner notes indicate that it was recorded
in 1985, apparently during the Rum, Sodomy, and the
Lash sessions, (it appears on the cd in the new reissue
series), so I thought the title provided a kind of symmetry
as well.

I suppose the bigger question is
"Why an annotated lyrics page?" The Pogues in general
and Shane MacGowan in particular garnered a (not entirely
undeserved) reputation as a bunch of drunken paddies, and
the songs sounded like that's what they were. Heck, I
suspect that many of us were drawn to the band for that
reason. Yet on closer inspection, the songs -- both in terms
of the music and the lyrics -- are full of historical,
literary, and political references not normally found in
popular music, and I found that picking up the references
added another level of enjoyment to the music. Songs that
make you drink and think... a tough combination that
the Pogues pulled off magnicifently.

Acknowledgements and Thank
Yous

This page grew out of discussions
in the alt.music.pogues usenet discussion board, and I'd
like to thank some of the regulars from way back when who
planted the seeds (particularly Mitch, Antman, and DzM).
The Parting Glass itself was launched in spring 2000
and I'd like to especially thank everyone who has
contributed to its growth along the way. Your contributions
made this a USA
Today"Hot Site of the
Day" for 9 April 2003.

Special thanks to Jem Finer for
passing along some lyrics and correcting some
mistakes.

Finally, a big thanks to DzM for
his support (and patience) in handling all the computer
details that keep this page up and running.

This page was developed
and is maintained by: FranMoran (email: fmoran at
poguetry.com)
Last update: 28 January 2005
Update history: click
here